Badger women's hockey captain wins award, breaks record

Wisconsin women's hockey captain Caroline Harvey became the first player in conference history to accomplish the feat

Wisconsin's Caroline Harvey looks to make a pass during the first period of a 7-0 victory over Bemidji State Friday Feb. 27, 2026 at LaBahn Arena in Madison, Wis. | Mark Stewart / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With a regular-season conference title, a gold medal, and an Olympic MVP already under her belt this season, Wisconsin Badgers women's hockey captain added more hardware to her trophy case on Wednesday night. In doing so, she made college hockey history.

Harvey's tremendous season comes as no surprise to women's hockey fans. The defender is top-ranked Wisconsin's second-leading scorer, the fourth-leading scorer in the country, and the greatest offensive threat of any blue-liner in the world.

With the senior leading the way, the Badgers have an opportunity this weekend to win a third-straight WCHA conference tournament title. On the eve of the tournament semifinal, Harvey secured a third-straight individual WCHA award, becoming the first player in conference history to do so.

Caroline Harvey wins WCHA Player and Defender of the Year awards

Best of the best 🫡

Captain Caroline Harvey is your 2025-26 WCHA Player of the Year! pic.twitter.com/CU9RQSBDQg

— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerWHockey) March 5, 2026

In the midst of Harvey's chase to break her own program record of 63 points by a defender in a single-season, the Salem, New Hampshire native won both the WCHA Defender of the Year and Player of the Year awards on Wednesday night. After also winning the conference's Defender of the Year award in 2024 and 2025, she is the first to win the honor three times.

In 28 collegiate games this season, Harvey has tallied 17 goals and 41 assists. Her 41 helpers are second-most in the country, trailing only her Wisconsin co-captain Lacey Eden's 43. The two-time first-team all-American boasts the second-most assists of any player in Wisconsin women's hockey history, trailing only Badgers forward Casey O'Brien, who won the WCHA Player of the Year award a season ago.

Harvey was the preseason favorite for both the conference's Defender and Player of the Year awards.

UW head coach Mark Johnson took home WCHA Coach of the Year honors for the second-consecutive season and the 11th time overall in his career. Despite missing five players during the Olympic Games, the Badgers won an outright conference regular-season championship. The winningest coach in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey history, has captured the award more times than anyone else in league history.

Eden and Wisconsin goaltender Ava McNaughton were top-three finalists for the Forward and Goaltender of the Year awards. Minnesota Golden Gophers captain Abbey Murphy won Forward of the Year and Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs netminder Ève Gascon won Goaltender of the Year.

Wisconsin seeks a WCHA Final Faceoff championship this weekend before Selection Sunday of the NCAA Tournament. If Wisconsin wins the conference tournament, it will be the top-overall seed in the national tournament.